SAVE THE DATE!

We are delighted to announce that New Zealand's premier whisky festival, DramFest, will be returning to the Te Pae Convention Centre from the 12th-14th of March 2027, to celebrate its 10th Anniversary! 

With just 365 days to go, we're working hard behind the scenes to pull out all the stops for this very special milestone festival.

20 years of ‘Oor wee Fest’...

We still can't quite believe that we're embarking on our 10th DramFest, signalling 20 years of whisky festivities here in New Zealand.

Owner of Whisky Galore and Founder of DramFest, Michael Fraser Milne reflects on the landmark anniversary:

“It would be true to say that our first DramFest was great but we did not have a clue what we were doing really, I mean, opening at 10:30 until 7pm! However, it was a hit, and we loved it and as we all know 20 years on it has grown and become even more fun, it also seems that earthquakes or pandemics does not slow the enthusiasm or dedications to DramFest.

The purpose is the same as the first one though, just simply to let folk explore the world of whisky and meet the great people who make it, sell it, promote it, a simple formula and one we all love.

Whisky aside if you can put it aside! The best part of DramFest is simply the people, we have volunteers who help us year after year, we have dedicated distillers and bottlers who join us each time, awesome members of our whisky public who come along to enjoy DramFest and of course our visiting experts, along with the wonderful team at Whisky Galore, this makes for a very diverse mixture of enthusiasts and experts, bringing tremendous camaraderie, all brought about by whisky. It also brings the Fraser Milne family out in force to help and that too is rather special for Stella and I.

It does not seem like 20 years and the changes in the whisky industry are ongoing and huge in that time, which gives us even more to explore.

Long may it last."

- Michael

DramFest 2025 - an overview

Our 9th festival at the Te Pae Convention Centre, Christchurch held over the 28th February, the 1st & 2nd of March 2025.

DramFest 2025 saw over 4,000 people decent upon the Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch over 3 days in glorious late Summer weather. With over 400 whiskies and rums available to try at the event, we are proud to call this our biggest selection of drams to date. We had on offer; tasting sessions, forums, cooper demonstrations, the return of the Nosing Competition and a host of amazing experts who travelled from far and wide to impart their knowledge at the festival.

For us DramFest has, and always will be, about the people. The rich tapestry of exhibitors, overseas guests, volunteers, and most importantly you, our whisky attendees is nothing short of a joy to behold. People from all walks of life, different countries (in some cases different continents), different tastes - all coming together to celebrate something that is more than the drams on show, it is the collective camaraderie found in spirits shared. Whisky family and friends old and new, we raise a glass to you and say thank you for making DramFest all that it is!

To see the official DramFest 2025 photos, click here.

Here are a few snaps from our previous events…